This invention pertains to manufactured fuel articles, and particularly charcoal fuel articles, most commonly known as charcoal briquettes. The invention pertains particularly to an improved igniting charcoal for cooking.
Charcoal is conventionally available as pillow-shaped briquettes. It finds substantial use by consumers for cooking food, and commonly is used for cooking relatively smaller amounts of food, as for a family meal. In this type of use it is normal to light a separate batch of charcoal for each use. The process of lighting the charcoal is thus a rather significant event in the overall use of the charcoal; and the ease of ignition therefore becomes significant. The normal method of igniting conventional charcoal is to apply a lighter fluid from a separate container to the charcoal just before ignition. The lighter fluid is absorbed by the charcoal. When an appropriate amount of fluid has been absorbed, the charcoal, containing the fluid, may be ignited using an ordinary match. While the heat from the match flame is not sufficient to ignite the charcoal, it is sufficient to ignite the lighter fluid; and it does. As the lighter fluid burns, it generates heat which is transmitted to the charcoal. The temperature of the charcoal rises, and eventually reaches a temperature sufficiently high for ignition of the charcoal. Desirably, the charcoal is sufficiently ignited by the time the lighter fluid has been totally consumed, so that the burn continues, with the burning charcoal providing essentially all of the fuel for the sustained burn, during which sustained burn the food is normally cooked.
As an alternate method of igniting charcoal, there is a commercially available product wherein lighter fluid is impregnated into the charcoal briquettes at the point of manufacture. This product has a disadvantage that it must be packaged in a vapor barrier type packaging material in order to prevent escape of the lighter fluid during the distribution and retailing operation, up to the point of consumption of the product. When the package is opened, the volatile lighter fluid is susceptible to escaping through the open package over a period of time, where only a portion of the entire package contents is used at the time the package is opened. Such escapement reduces the amount of lighter fluid in the briquettes, reducing, if not eliminating, the functional benefits of impregnating the briquettes with lighter fluid. Another problem with factory impregnated charcoal is that the lighter fluid is distributed more or less evenly throughout the mass of the charcoal briquette. As such, whatever amount of lighter fluid is in the briquette at the time of use continues to evolve from the briquette throughout a substantial portion of the burn phase of the briquette. This includes evolution of lighter fluid and combustion products from lighter fluid substantially throughout the period when food is being cooked. This exposes the food to lighter fluid or combustion products therefrom which may be detrimental. Further, lighter fluid burned during the burn phase is superfluous and wasteful with respect to its primary ignition function. By contrast, when lighter fluid is added to the briquettes immediately prior to ignition, it is anticipated that the lighter fluid is localized in the exterior regions of the briquette, and is substantially burned off by the time the sustained burn phase is reached, wherein the charcoal itself is burning over a majority of its surface.
Another problem with conventional charcoal is that it is dirty. When charcoal is handled, the user typically gets dirty hands. Where lighter fluid is handled, the user may get lighter fluid on the hands, or a combination of lighter fluid and charcoal bits, which is even more difficult to remove. With the lighter fluid typically being a petroleum-based substance, it is somewhat difficult to remove with ordinary soap and water, making the cleanup more difficult; with the consequence that the user may not take the time or effort to completely remove particularly the lighter fluid from his hands. Thus, the contaminated hands may further contaminate food as it is being cooked over the charcoal or as it is being otherwise prepared or consumed.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel manufactured fuel article, having improved ignition characteristics.
It is a more specific object to provide a manufactured fuel article having an outer combustible layer which acts, in combination, as an igniter material, a cushioning material, and as a spacing layer to minimize direct contact with the charcoal and thereby reduce the amount of soil which reaches the user's hands.
It is yet another object to provide the outer layer in such a composition, amount, and configuration that it ignites easily and is essentially totally consumed by the time the primary fuel element is substantially ignited.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a composition for the outer layer such that it burns in essentially the solid phase.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a spacing between the fuel element and the outer layer such that the heat generated by the outer layer is transferred to the fuel element material only to the extent it is capable of traversing the space.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide novel methods of making a fuel article.
It is still another object of the invention to provide novel methods of igniting a fuel article.